6 Months

Bud has been gone for 6 months. That means 6 months worth of meals, bed times, diapers, dog walks, doctors appts, illnesses, lawn mows, garbage days and cleaning that I have done by myself. (Except of course for when I was home over the holidays, and while my parents were here.) I'm tired.

6 months ago, Claire wasn't even 1. She was starting to really master walking, but was still a little unsteady at times. She wasn't really saying much. She was taking two naps a day. She was pretty quiet, extremely well behaved (pretty much) all the time, and just overall very easy going. She had just a few teeth, and barely enough hair to put in tiny little big tails.

Now, Claire is almost 1.5 years old (say WHAT?!?!). She is walking, running, trying to jump, climbing on furniture, trying to climb in and out of the bath tub and has completely mastered her slide. She has a decent voccabulary that is growing almost daily; her favorite words are mama, papa, ada (daddy), lacey, please, thank you, all done, uh huh and fish. She knows where her nose, teeth and hair are. She fights taking one nap most days. She is LOUD, opinionated, extremely sassy, and so incredibly funny. She has 10 teeth, and enough hair to just pull right back in a pony tail.

Bud has no idea what he is coming home to. We were able to video chat for a while today, which was WONDERFUL. Claire was being her normal self, and threw a fit at one point. He laughed hysterically. Except for the minute long videos I send him multiple times a week, this was really the first time he has seen this new side of our little girl.

I can not wait to watch his reaction to her as he soaks her in. She is a completely different kid than when he left. She is SO much like him it is unbelievable to me. She hasn't spent anytime with him in 6 months, yet multiple times a day, I can't help but giggle because she does things, says things, give me looks that are EXACTLY her daddy. We are in for quite the adventure with this little lady. :)

The countdowwn is on. I have been a complete space case the past few days, because all I can seem to think about is how close I am to having him home. SO close to waking up and seeing his face, to listening for his motorcycle at the end of the day, to laughing til my cheeks hurt, to NOT taking out the garbage anymore. :) SO CLOSE to having my favorite people in the world in one house, being a complete family again. I'm so excited.

MIA

I have been in a bit of a writing rut. Forgive me.

Since most of you come here for a Claire fix...here you go. :)

Such a big girl!
Claire has to have things in her hands all the time. The more the better. :)
She got to go swimming today for the first time this year! She had so much fun with her neighbor friends!

We are REALLY close to welcoming a certain someone home, so I am going to be very busy cleaning, reorganizing, catching up on all my TV shows so the TV is free when he gets home, and losing these last 10 lbs.

We really really miss him, and I can not wait to watch him walk off that bus. I will be one happy chica. :)

Long Time, No Blog

Sorry dudes, I've been busy. :)

In the past few weeks, I have put up a backsplash, thrown a diaper party (like a baby shower), hung multiple big things in the house, getting the house inspected, dealing with a sick, sick baby, and going through Claire's clothes to send to miss Lainey, all while keeping these two precious girls alive and well. :)

This week I will update everyone on all those big projects, as well as smaller things that we have been doing. Claire has been SO fun lately....she takes up most of my time, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I also realized today, we have lived in this house for a year, and we DON'T have movers coming!!! HOORAY! I can not tell you how happy this makes me!

Stay tuned this week for updates!

Daddy's Chair

A certain (almost) 16 month old has taken a liking to Daddy's chair...and I must say she looks way cuter sitting in it in just her diaper than he does in just his boxers! :)

Good luck getting your chair back, Daddy! It's the perfect spot to watch Mickey Mouse!

days go by...

Claire is now 15 months old. She is now a walking, talking, very, very sassy little girl. Bud left when she was almost 1. She was walking, but carefully, almost talking, and still a baby in our eyes.

I sent him a video of her the other day and he responded saying he watched it with Tim (his team leader) and this is how the conversation went...

Bud: When did she grow up?

Tim: Apparently while you were fighting for her freedom.

Of all the things Bud has said to me in the last 3.5 months, this one really stuck. Our baby has grown into a toddler, who is talking, full of opinions and running my house. Yet, he is thousands of miles away, making sure she is able to grow up in a free country, where she can do whatever it is she wants to do.

Every time Claire does something new, I think to myself how much I wish he was here. I wish he could see everything like I do. I wish he didn't miss meal times to watch her eat like a pig. I wish he didn't miss doctor appts so I am the only one who has to suffer through Claire screaming. I wish he didn't miss vet visits, of me worrying about Lacey when I really didn't need to. I wish he could be home the first time Claire asked for her dada. I wish, I wish, I wish.

Yet, my life will be full of wishes. He WILL miss things. She will do things that he won't see until he gets home. I WILL have to do a lot by myself.

And, still, I am so incredibly thankful for the life I have. I have a husband is who behind me 110% and trusts my opinion on everything. I have a little girl who kisses and hugs me all day, every day to remind me how much I am loved. I have parents, in-laws and siblings who check in on me, to make sure I am doing okay. We own a beautiful home, with a little bit of land for Claire and Lacey to explore.

For those of you who have not experienced it, homecomings (almost) make it all worth it. The extreme excitement of getting ready, and waiting for your love to be back in your arms, erases everything. We still have a while yet to wait, but our FAVORITE guy will be home this spring and we CAN NOT wait.

Every single day, I think of how much I wish he were here. I think about how much of Claire's life he is missing, and yet how thankful I am that he IS there. Every night about 5 I wish he were on his way home, instead of so far away.I go to bed alone (except for Lacey) every night, and want to roll over and see his face. He is an amazing man, a successful Marine, and if I want anyone there protecting me, it's him. He is my hero.

Beautiful Day

Claire's requirements for a beautiful winter (??) day are...

Running around in the front yard golfing/chasing the giant yellow ball

Lots of fresh water

Playing peek-a-boo with mom

Enjoy the rocking chairs on the porch

The past few days have been amazingly beautiful here---think 75 and sunny. Claire, Lacey and I have enjoyed a lot of hours walking and playing outside. While Claire was playing the other day, the only thought that came to me, was....WOW....how lucky are we to be able to have an amazing yard that we own for our little girl to play in. I am seriously so blessed it is amazing to me. We have lived here almost a year. That means that Claire was 4 months old when we moved here. She couldn't do much, so last summer wasn't as fun. I watch her playing in the yard now and daydream of when Bud is home and we get to spend time as a family playing in our yard. It will be AMAZING! And, I can't wait.

My Girl

The weather last week was absolutely beautiful here, so much so that one day I opened the windows. (The dog using her kennel as a restroom could have had something to do with opening the windows, but I prefer to not think of it that way. :) ) I was putting some laundry away and came back to the living room to find Claire missing....I looked in my bedroom and this is what I saw...

I realized that she has never stood at an open window. By the time she was walking really well, I didn't have the windows open often, and I don't typically pull up the blinds, because then she plays with the cord. So, this was something totally new for her. She kept pointing at things and looking around, it was so sweet.

Don't mind the crazy, post nap hair, but check out the eyes on this girl. :) I know she is mine, so I am a little biased, but man, she is a beautiful child!

Love that you can see her teeth in this one. She looks very sweet in this one, which is very fitting. I get so many hugs and kisses every single day. Most of the time, I don't even have to ask for them, and it is usually just what I need. I am very thankful for this little lady every day, but especially on days when I am really missing Bud...she helps it not hurt quite as bad.